stack ranking
Comparative employee ranking
Stack ranking is a management practice of evaluating employees against each other rather than against fixed standards, then sorting them into performance tiers.
Companies using stack ranking typically require managers to designate a percentage of workers as top performers, a larger middle group, and a bottom tier often targeted for termination: Microsoft's stack ranking system pitted teammates against each other.
The practice is controversial for fostering competition over collaboration.
Formal evaluation of worth
- appraisalEstimation of worth
- ratingAssigned evaluative score
- scoringEarning points in competition
- gradingAssigning marks to work
calibration · review · measurement · comparison · benchmarking · criteria · judgment · tiering
Carrying out a task
- employeesPaid staff members
- managersThose who oversee operations
- HREmployee management department
- talentInborn aptitude
promotion · termination · bonus · compensation · succession · retention · turnover · PIP
Ranked list of competitors
- ladderPortable climbing frame
- winnersThose who prevail
- losersUnsuccessful competitors
- peersThose of equal status
cohort · curve · quota · relative · percentile · cutoff · threshold · outperform
Unfair inclination or prejudice
- favoritismPreferential treatment of some
- subjectivityPersonal viewpoint coloring perception
- unfairnessUnjust or biased treatment
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
toxicity · morale · resentment · backlash · politics · manipulation · complaints · grievances
assessment
Formal evaluation of worth
grading · calibration · review · measurement · comparison · benchmarking · criteria · judgment · tiering · percentile
performance
Carrying out a task
talent · promotion · termination · bonus · compensation · succession · retention · turnover · PIP · layoffs
leaderboard
Ranked list of competitors
peers · cohort · curve · quota · relative · percentile · cutoff · threshold · outperform · underperform
bias
Unfair inclination or prejudice
- favoritismPreferential treatment of some
- subjectivityPersonal viewpoint coloring perception
- unfairnessUnjust or biased treatment
discrimination · toxicity · morale · resentment · backlash · politics · manipulation · complaints · grievances · competition